Air-compressor



J; P. LOFTUS.

AIR COMPRESSOR. APPLICATION FILED MN. 19. 1920.

1 373,339. Patented Mar. 29, 19210 zr Cf fax gm m I r a E0 A1 2 f; o R J1 I JO 6 Trial?" F I J06 1 44 offas.

JOHN rararoxiior'rns, or corner, ALBERTA, cannon.

AIR-COIVIERESSOR.

Application filed January 19, 1920. Serial No.-352,278.

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN P. Lor'rus, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada resirling at Ogden, in the Province of Alberta, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAir-Compressors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a hydro-air compressor which is designed toautomatically compress air by a supply of water under pressure and deliver the compressed air into a reservoir.

The invention is particularly described in the following specification, reference being made to the drawings by which it is accompanied, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation and part section of the device, and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail of the airsuction and delivery valves.

In Fig. 1 the operative mechanism, which reverses the delivery of water in the tanks, is shown to avoid confusion as below the ground level, whereasin practice it will be below the bottom ends of the tanks but above the ground-line.

The device comprises two air-tight tanks 2 and 3 which are placed side by side on a common base. The upper ends of these tanks are connected by a pipe i from the middle of which is an air delivery 5 to the compressed air reservoir. Each end of this pipe 1 is open at 6, the opening being provided with a valve 7 opening inward, as shown in Fig. 2, and intermediate of the ends the pipe 4 is connected at 8 to each reservoir 2 and 3. A float operated Valve 9 seats upward to close discharge to the pipe 4. Adjacent the connection 8 toward the delivery pipe 5 is a check valve 10 to retain the air pressure as delivered to 41.

Water is admitted separately to the tanks 3 and 2 through pipes 11 and 12 from a control cylinder 13.

Pistons 14, 16, 15 and 17 are mounted on a common rod to be endwise movable in the cylinder 13 and at the extremes of their movement to one side, say to the right, connect the water service pipe 18 of the left side to the tank service pipe 12 of the same side, through the space between the pistons 14: and 16; and the tank service pipe 11 is simultaneously connected to the waste pipe 20 between the central pistons 15 and 16. Conversely at the other limit of its movement the tank 2 is connected to the waste pipe 20 between the pistons 15 and 16 and the water delivery 19 is connected between the pistons 15 and 17 to the tank service pipelll.

The pistons 1t, 16, 15, 17 are endwise moved within the cylinder 13 by water under pressure admitted toand exhausted from opposite ends of the cylinder throughthe pipes 22 and 23 in a manner to be described,

the same being cooperative with the filling and emptying of the tanks 2 and 3.

A lever 24 is pivotedat 25 about itsinidlength to the foundat1on frame of thedevice, to the opposite ends of which lever connected by flexible pipes 28 to the upper and lower ends of the tanks 2 and 8 respectively, so that as the water fills or empties The upper and lower 7 in the tanks it is able to attain a similar 1 level in the tubes 26, 22'.

Downwardly proyecting from the middle of the lever 2 1- is' an arm 29 which is connccted to the piston rod of two pistons 30 endwise movable in a cylinder 31, the middle of which cylinder is connected at to the water service, 18, 19 and toward each end is connected through the pipes 22 and 23 to the opposite ends of the cylinder 13, the

extreme ends of the cylinder 31 being connected to a waste pipe 35.

The operation of the device can now be described. Assume the mechanism to be, in the position shown in the drawing with the tank 3 emptying itself through the pipe 11 between the pistons 15 and 16 to the waste 20. At the same time the water service pipe 18 of the left hand tank is connected between the pistons 14, 16 to the tank service pipe 12 and that tank is filling. I

lVhen the water in the tube 27 falls below the level at which it can counterbalance that in the tube 26 of the other tank, the preponderating weight in 26 will cant the lever 24 to the opposite side and the lever 29 will move the piston 30 to connect the water service 32 of that cylinder through the pipe 23 to the end of the cylinder 13 to which that pipe is connected and will move the connected pistons 14, 15, 15and 17 toward the left, when the water service pipe 12 of the tanlr 2 will be connected to empty that tank and the water service pipe 19 will beconnected to the pipe 11 to refill the tank 3.

It will be noted that as the piston 30 c0nnects the water service to one end of the cylinder 13 it connects the other end to the waste 35. 3

Adjustable onan arm upwardly projecting from the balance lever 2% is a counterweight 34 which is designed to insure that the operative mechanism will not reverse until the weight of the water in one tube is suliicient to overcome the counterweight 34:.

As the water rises alternately in the tanks 2 and 3 it will compress the air drawn into the tank through the check valve '7 and will deliver it through the check valve 10 and pipes a and 5 to the compressed air reservoir. The float valve 9 is to insure that that valve will close and prevent water pass,- ing into the air discharge pipe if there should be any undue resistance which pre vents the operation of the automatic reversing mechanism.

Compression of the air in the chambers 2 and 3 is thus effected by the direct application of the water under pressure and the frictional loss of power of a pumping engine is thus avoided.

Further the compressed air as delivered sary to start and stop it.

Having now particularly described my invention, I hereby declare that what I claim as new and desire to be protected in byLetters Patent, is:

1. An air compressor, comprising two aireach of said pipes having a flexible duct connecting the top and bottom to the upper and lower ends of itscontainer, andmeans operative by the oscillation of the lever under the head of liquid within either pipe for admitting a liquid under pressure alternately to one container while permitting outflow of the liquid from the other. e p

2. an air compressor, comprising two verti'ally elongated airtight containers, each having a suction valve in its head permitting entrance of air and preventing its outward escape, each having an air delivery with a check valve preventing backward flow, means for admitting a liquid under pressure to the lower end of each container, means for shutting oil the admission of the liquid to the container and for discharging the liquid therefrom, means for controlling the admission of the liquid to and its delivery from the containers alternately, said means'comprisiug a lever pivotally mounted intermediate of its ends, eachend or the laser supporting a vertically movable tube, the upper and lower ends of which are connected by a flexible duct to the adjacent ends of its container whereby when the container full or liquid the end of the lever toward that container will move downward and the other end correspondingly rise, and means connected to this lever for controlling the liquid admission and discharge to and from the containers.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

JOHN PATRICK LOFTUS. 

